#Winophiles Tour the Rhone Our October meeting of the French #Winophiles sends us to the Rhone. The wine region is entirely defined by the Rhone river, as it is the center and the main geographic influence in both soil and weather. We’ll be chatting about the Rhone on Saturday October 17 at 10am CDT. Join … Continue reading →

Pinch Me, a Flight of Classic Northern Rhone Reds Do you have a shop in your town that runs serious tastings? We’re lucky to have several venues in Minneapolis, one of which is Sunfish Cellars. In addition to basic classes, Sunfish regularly offers deep explorations into serious wines. Tonight we sampled wines from a number … Continue reading →

Wine Pairing Weekend #5: Fall Fruits and Wine Wine Pairing weekend is a monthly collaborative event for wine/food bloggers. This month’s theme is “Fall Fruits and Wine”. If you’d like to see what others in our group are doing, scroll to the bottom of the post for links. Join the #winePW conversation: Follow the #winePW … Continue reading →

On a visit with Erin Cannon Chave, we crossed the Rhone from Tain L’Hermitage to Mauves, in the St. Joseph appellation. The difficulty of farming on the hillside (cliffside?) of St. Joseph is clear as as soon as you see the steep slopes and terraces. Cultivated for centuries, many of these hillsides were abandoned after … Continue reading →

A question came up at our Chave tasting in Minnesota: “If we’re in France, can we visit?” Erin answered that they aren’t really set up for visitors, but if we would be in France to send her an email. If she would be available, she would be happy to have us visit. Lucky us, we … Continue reading →

When I attended the Domaine Jean-Louis Chave visit & tasting at Sunfish Cellars in August, I had no idea it would lead to something more. The lucky folks who attended enjoyed an evening with Erin Cannon Chave. Erin is married to Jean-Louis, the current head of this historic family of winegrowers from the Northern Rhone … Continue reading →

Have you attended a farm dinner yet? There are some pretty fancy ones that are also very expensive. $200 per person? Sorry, not here. However, there are likely some in your area that are reasonable, and you’re sure to have a good time. Meet your farmers, and learn where your food comes from! One piece … Continue reading →